


Free Up My Heart

by Perkalil



Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: But we all know we need this, Emma is totally bi, Emma's a reluctant romantic, F/F, F/M, Helpless gay, Internalized Homophobia, Jealousy, Melissa is big nervous, No Apotheosis AU, Paul is clueless, Some would call it a crackfic, sexism in the workplace
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-24 15:18:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20909780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Perkalil/pseuds/Perkalil
Summary: When a new barista began working at the coffee shop a few blocks down, Melissa had no idea what she was getting herself into. Having to see this new barista every morning would be a gift from above, if she wasn't so terrified of talking to her.Emma, finally getting her life together, takes a shitty job at a coffee shop. And one customer comes in every morning. She's very cute, but she never says anything.Coffee Shop/No Apotheosis AU involving a crabby barista and a timid secretary.





	1. Iced Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to the fic that no one asked for, but everyone needed; a gay AU fic between two characters that have never met. I'm so excited to share this new fic with everyone, this sort of slow-burn stuff is so fascinating and involving a canon character like Melissa that we know very little about gives me a little character-building opportunity as well. I hope you enjoy the first chapter!

Melissa POV

It seemed like such a normal day. It was totally unassuming, just another March 14th. Just another Thursday; a sort of electric excitement in the office atmosphere because it was so close to Friday which meant it was so close to the weekend. I had only been at my desk for what seemed to be a few hours before people began coming down from their departments with their coffee orders. 

It didn’t used to be my job to collect coffee for everyone, but Mr. Davidson had insisted that only one person going to collect coffee for the office was a better time saver than letting everyone else go on their own time. One man in the data analysis department, Paul, was very much against this idea, but I knew he was too timid to really put up a fight with our boss. Not like I was any better, I’d have to juggle four trays of drinks the three blocks from the coffee shop back to the office, but did I complain? No, sir.

“What’s up, Melissa?” I looked up from my monitor to smile politely at the man who approached me. I recognized him as Ted, the guy from customer service. He always seemed nice enough when he talked to her, but all the people in data analysis talked about what an asshole he was.

“Oh, not too much. Just organizing Mr. Davidson’s schedule for the day. Have you had any early morning callers?” I spoke while I sent Mr. Davidson the email with his schedule attached, as well as several notes that he was supposed to share for his midday meeting. He always forgot the talking points he made her write down and he would wing all of his speeches. After I sent the email I looked up at Ted, who was now leaning on my desk.

“Nah, nah, nah, nah, not yet today. Kinda a blessing if you ask me, the early morning ones are usually the most irritated, but I bet you know all about that.” He looked at me and his eyes swept my form. A small shudder rolled through my shoulders and I broke eye contact with him. He might not be as big of an asshole as Paul claimed, but he sure gave off creepy vibes. “I actually came down here to give you the coffee orders for the customer service department. Just mine and one other chick, a lot of people brought in their own shit.” 

“Oh, okay then. Thank you, Ted!” I grabbed the post-it note, and two orders were scribbled down. A chai iced tea and a vanilla latte. I scribbled down the orders in my own handwriting so I could read it easier and busied myself with other papers so Ted would leave. It took him a few minutes to take the hint but he left eventually. Another shadow passed over me and I looked up to see Paul standing at my desk now. He always looked a little nervous, like he realized he left the dryer going before he left the house. “Hi, Paul! Got the coffee orders from data analysis?”

“Oh, yeah! Got it right here!” He waved the post-it note in his hand for proof. “I also got the other department orders, too. Hope you don’t mind, I figured you’d want to get them as soon as you could and wouldn’t want to wait for everyone to bring them down to you.”

I took the post-its from his outstretched hand, hurrying to write down the orders with Ted’s. “Thank you, that’s very thoughtful!” I finished writing down the orders and looked up. Paul was still standing there, kinda rocking back and forth on his heels. “Is there something else I can do for you? I’ve gotta head out soon before the coffee shop’s midday rush begins.”

“That’s what I wanted to ask you about, actually!” He reached out towards me as I stood, then pulled his hands back to his side. “I was wondering if you’d like some help carrying the drink trays back from the shop? I could come with you, and since I don’t have any work to do at the moment, I figured I’d ask.” I took a look at him as I folded the paper and tucked it into my blazer. 

“Uh, yeah, that would be nice. Thank you!” I smiled at him and he returned it as I walked around my desk to the door.

The walk to the shop was very quiet; it gave me time to let my mind wander. Why would Paul be so nice to me? It’s not like he was into me or anything, right? He’d always been nice to me, he was one of my first friends at CCRP. We’d been working together for a couple years now, it’s not like he’d try to make a move... or would he?

I’d been so caught up in my own thoughts that I nearly missed the door to the shop, which is a miracle in itself because the bright green sign displaying the name ‘Beanies’ was impossible to miss. Paul caught my arm and I jerked to a stop, my eyes wide. “Woah, there! Something on your mind, Melissa?” His smile was friendly, or was it flirtatious? God, now I was in my head and I had to come up with some sort of explanation. 

“Yeah, yeah, just thinking about all the meetings I have to sit in today for Mr. Davidson.” I smiled, and I hoped it looked sincere. Paul must have bought it because he smiled back and patted my shoulder.

“I get that, sometimes it feels like he creates things for us to do that have nothing to do with our actual work!” He chuckled at his own little joke and I gave him another smile in return. He opened the door to the shop and held it for me, gesturing for me to walk inside. Is he just being nice, or is it something more?

“Thank you.”I tucked my hair behind my ear as I stepped inside. Paul followed right behind me and I walked further into the shop. It was pretty enough, a lot of dark green tones on the walls and the decorations, it was almost like a Starbucks ripoff. But the coffee was cheaper and it was basically the same quality, so who was I to judge? I looked at the counter to see no one up there. It was something I expected; the worker in the mornings, Nora, was the manager and she liked to sit in the back unless there were customers up in front. She had told me this much on the third or fourth visit I had made with the office’s orders. I had assured her that I didn’t mind and that I was fine with ringing the bell on the counter. So I hit the small bell and a quick ding followed. I rocked back and forth on my heels slightly as I waited for her. Paul was back a little ways, taking a look at the bakery items.

“That’s weird, usually Nora comes out.” I tried to explain away the nervousness, but if I didn’t get back to the office quickly, Mr. Davidson would be upset. He can barely function on his own and I spent more time in the day talking to him on the phone than actual clients or outside callers. I rang the bell again, and I heard a groan coming from the back. That’s not Nora’s voice, I wonder if that other girl that works in the afternoons was covering for her. “Hello? Sorry to bother, but I have the CCRP Technical order!”

And then she walked up front, and I saw Paul straighten up in my peripheral vision at the same time I did.

She was wearing the typical Beanie’s uniform, the green apron with the white-collar shirt and the black shorts, but unlike Nora or that other girl, this woman had her hair done up with several clips to keep it all off her neck. She was wearing minimal makeup, but her cheekbones look like they could kill a man they were do defined. She looked gorgeous, despite the prominent frown and furrowed brows on her face.

Suddenly I realized she was talking to me, looking more annoyed than when she walked up from the back, and I kicked myself for just staring. 

“Sorry! Uh, here.” I took the folded paper out of my blazer pocket and unfolded it, handing it over to her. I hated that my hand trembled a little and I jumped when our hands brushed. The woman pretended not to notice, or maybe she actually didn’t, and she read over the orders.

“Jesus! That’s a shit-ton of coffee! Nora warned me about the big order, but she never mentioned anything about them all being so complicated.” I nodded sympathetically, smiling to try and convey how sorry I was she had to make it all. “What, you guys all buy coffee together at work or something?” 

Before I even had a chance to open my mouth, Paul jumped in. “Oh, yeah. It’s some morale-boosting thing that our boss came up with, he thinks it saves company time for us all to get coffee at once instead of leaving the place to get it separately.” I watched her scoff as she was running around getting the drinks all prepped, but it seemed less harsh and more conversational. 

“He better be using the company money for this shit then, I can’t imagine each of you are taking the brunt of the bill for this shitty coffee.” She froze for a second after she spoke, almost like she regretted saying that las thing. Again, I was going to jump into the conversation, but Paul cut me off.

“Yeah, our boss gives Melissa the company card! Not a whole lot of us at the office actually participate, but it’s nice to get a free coffee now and then.”

It was clear that Paul had taken over the conversation, so I took a step away from the counter to give him space. I just kept looking around the empty shop, trying to distract myself, but my eyes kept wandering over to that woman. She was chatting away with Paul, and she even smiled at him as she started putting lids on the drinks. Her smile lit up her face, and for some reason, the fact that she was smiling at Paul bothered me. Maybe it was just her customer service training kicking in, and she wasn’t really interested in whatever he was talking about. 

“That’ll be $36.48.” She was setting all the drinks in their trays, and I walked up to the counter to pay with the card. I felt her eyes on me as I filled out all the questions on the chip reader. I flushed and ducked my head to try and hide it. I don't know why I was reacting this way, she was just looking at me. I hoped that my face had calmed down by the time I looked up. “Would you like your receipt?”

“Yes, please.” I saw Paul grabbing some of the trays, but I couldn’t take my eyes off this barista. I was tongue-tied and I knew I probably looked like an idiot. She handed me my receipt and locked eyes with me. Wow. They were brown.

“Alright, have fun trying to carry all that back to your office. I’m sure I’ll see you tomorrow.” I tucked the card and receipt away and grabbed the last two trays. The barista offered me a smile and I returned it, probably too much. 

“Goodbye, thank you!” Paul cheerily held the door for me again, and after I walked out I glanced back through the window. The barista was leaning against the counter, a bored expression on her face. I guess it was better than looking angry or disgusted. “Melissa, did you see that? That barista was really nice, oh shoot! I should've left a tip.” He stopped walking for a moment, then shrugged his shoulder. “Eh, I'll try and stop by after work.” 

I looked over at him, something fluttering in my chest. “You’re gonna go in twice in a day?”

“Yeah! I think she was kinda… into me, you know? Now I mean, I don't want to sound like a Ted or anything, but she was really cute. And she sounded really interesting when we were talking. I kinda want to ask her on a date, but you know, I don’t want to come on too strong…”

He kept chattering away, but I wasn’t listening. I just kept thinking about the barista, and her name that I had spotted on her nametag that was attached to her apron.

Emma. Pretty. 


	2. Chamomile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melissa gets some one on one time with the new barista, Emma.

Melissa POV

Paul came with me to Beanies every day for the rest of the week. Not that I minded the help, I was actually really grateful that I only had to carry the one tray while he juggled the rest, but I knew he wasn’t doing it to be a nice guy. He was doing it to talk to Emma. Not that I minded. Not at all. I always got to say good morning to her before he took control of the conversation, and I always said goodbye as we left. I also left her at least a thirty percent tip on the company card, not that Mr. Davidson had to know. I was polite, or at least I tried to be. Paul….

Was not.

He talked Emma’s ear off, I’m certain of it. He watched her like a hawk too, and smiled way too much. It creeped me out just watching it, I’m sure it creeped out Emma too. I tried to cut him off, or tell him that it was creepy afterwards, but he spent the entire walk back to the office talking about Emma every day. Just about Emma. I’m surprised that he even knew anything about her, he didn’t give the poor woman any time to talk. He prattled on and on about her at work, too. Mr. Davidson had to tell him to quiet down during a Friday meeting because he was talking to Bill about her. It made me smile but I had to hide it. 

* * *

I took the weekend to cool off. Usually, everyone in the office goes out for drinks on Saturday nights, but I cancelled on them. I just couldn’t bear to hear Paul talk about Emma more if I had to deal with it come Monday. So I went to the batting cages instead, there hadn’t been any snow on the ground yet so the managers kept them open. I couldn’t help but picture Paul’s face every time a ball came hurtling at me, and I swung with a little too much force. I don’t understand why I was so mad at Paul; people fall for other people every day. Maybe it’s just because he talks about her all the time, and he really only talks to me if it’s about her. I tried not to think about Paul too much when I was swinging, he was throwing off my accuracy. 

I’m sure I was out in the cages for an hour or so before the chill finally set in. My fingers were frozen, I was pretty bundled up to avoid being too cold but I couldn’t swing my bat with gloves on. So I gave it up and walked back to my car. I hadn’t realized that it had gotten dark until I was walking through the parking lot. Most of the time I go to the batting cages during daylight hours, but Paul had thrown off my whole schedule and I didn’t want to feel guilty for not going to drinks this weekend without a good reason. I tossed my bat in the back of my car and started it up, blasting the heat to warm my fingers.

I was fully intending to drive straight back to my apartment, but on the way a bright green sign flashed by. Beanies. Almost like I didn’t have control of my mind, I turned around and parked in front of the little cafe. Before I really understood what I was doing I was walking through the entrance, the little bell over the door jingling merrily.

I almost turned right around and exited, completely embarrassed that I had walked into the shop without even thinking, then a voice called out and I froze, rooted to the spot in further embarrassment. 

“Hey, welcome to Beanies!” She sounded tired and not at all happy to be here, but she called our greeting anyway. Emma stood behind the counter, and as I gave a half-hearted wave and walked up to the counter I saw a flash of recognition flash in her eyes. “Hey, you’re the girl from that office place, right?”

I nodded slightly, my cheeks red from something other than the cold. “Yeah, Melissa.”

“Well, hey Melissa.” She smiled at me, watching me from behind the counter. “What can I get you? Coffee, tea, hot chocolate? I never know what you get, you guys never ask for names on your orders.” I started a little as she spoke. I didn’t know that she cared to notice something like that, Nora certainly never had. She was just happy that the orders got out of the way quicker. 

“I usually get chamomile tea.” I smiled back at her.

“Alright, coming right up then.” She seemed happy to have something to do and busied herself with the hot water container. “You like it steeped strong or weak?”

I shuffled from foot to foot, not used to getting to talk to Emma whenever I came in here. “Oh, I usually drink it strong.”

“Strong, I like it!” Emma looked back at me, and I felt like she was cutting right to the chase. “Take a seat, we can chat for a bit. Unless you have somewhere to go, then I won’t keep you waiting.” She had the same look on her face as the first time she called the coffee shitty; like she said something she shouldn’t have. 

“Oh, no, it’s okay. I’ve got time!” I sat down at the bar top so I was still close enough to have a conversation with her. Something inside me was overjoyed thinking that she wanted to talk to me while she was making my drink.

“Cool.” I heard water splash into a mug, making a splash that filled the brief silence. “So, what has you driving by Beanies at eight o’ clock at night?” 

“Oh, I was on my way home from the batting cages and I saw the sign was still on. I figured I could stop in for a tea to help me warm up.” I watched her look at me in surprise as she carried the mug over to me, a fresh tea bag stuck inside.

“Holy shit, the batting cages are still open? It’s practically Thanksgiving!” She set the mug down and I pulled it toward me, absently playing with the string. “God, it must have been freezing!”

“Yeah, it was a little chilly, but when you’re swinging you warm yourself up pretty quick.” I wrap my hands around the warm mug, closing my eyes to relish in the feeling of the heat spreading through me. 

“How long were you out there?” She leaned against the counter and I opened my eyes to watch her. It was like she was keeping all her pressure off one leg, but watching me intently. She seemed so genuinely interested, it shocked me. No one ever seemed interested in my softball stuff, so I never really talked about it.

“I think just a little over an hour, I get kind of lost in the motion and lose track of time.” Emma hummed and I took a test sip of the tea. It was perfect. “So, what about you? Don’t you typically work the morning shift?”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I typically do, but Zoe needed me to cover her shift because she had some dumb theater rehearsal. On a Saturday! I don’t buy it, I’m one-hundred percent sure she just wanted to go drinking with her friends. So I’m stuck here for the night, and like, who comes to a cafe at night? No one, everyone goes to a convenience store to buy energy drinks if they want caffeine.” She looked over at me, and I swore her cheeks got a little pink. “I mean, not like it’s weird that you’re here. I’m glad you’re here, actually. I’d hate to have to sit here alone until close, it’s so boring.”

I felt something flutter in my stomach and simply nodded, sipping my tea. We kept chatting as I finished my drink, just simple things like the weather and our work. I found out that she had just started working there this past weekend, trying to pay her rent while attending community college. She didn’t seem too proud of that fact, so I steered clear from the topic. I told her about my job,and how difficult it was to deal with Mr. Davidson’s constantly changing moods and his unpredictable behavior. We talked long after my drink had finished and suddenly Emma checked her watch.

“Oh, shit! It’s already past close.” She looked up at me. “It was really nice talking with you, but I should probably close up.”

“Oh, yeah, of course. I’ll uh, clear out.” I stood quickly, holding up the mug for her to take. She grabbed it and quickly cleaned it in the sink behind the counter. “How much do I owe you?”

“Ah, don’t worry about it.” She placed the mug on a drying rack and winked. “Think of it as a thank you for sitting with me.”

For some god forsaken reason, I flushed bright red and nodded. “Thanks. I, uh, I’m happy I could help.”

Emma smiled and gave me a little wave as I walked out of the shop, and I waved back before ducking into my car. My tea sat warm and comforting in my stomach on the drive home, and I thought about our conversation on the drive back to my apartment. I can’t wait to shove that in Paul’s face on Monday. 

I busied myself with tidying up my small closet in my entryway until I got tired enough to fall asleep, sinking into bed. The only thing that flashed through my mind was how easily she had spoken with Emma, something that I knew I struggled to do with anyone, especially strangers who I’d only met a few times before. It had taken me at least a month before I approached anyone at CCRP Tech with conversation outside of work. What made Emma so different? That question plagued me as I fell asleep, over-analyzing every part of our conversation. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know that Emma seems a little OOC, but I promise the crabbiness we know and love will be back with a vengeance! Feel free to leave kudos and comments, it's a super motivator!


	3. Shirley Temple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melissa sees a side of Emma that she wasn't expecting; a bar scene?

Melissa POV

Monday morning was as hectic as ever. Apparently, an old client had realized that someone messed up early on in some research, so the project had to begin again from scratch to address the issue. The IT department was taking most of the extra work, so Paul was stuck at his desk from the second he stepped into the office. Luckily for me, that meant that he wouldn’t be joining me on this morning’s coffee run, and fortunately not a whole lot of people in the office were requesting anything with getting too caught up in the new unexpected workload. But of course, Mr. Davidson insisted that I pick up his coffee and my tea, as well as Ted’s usual order of a chai iced tea. So I bundled up against the chilly air and set off down the few blocks to Beanies. 

Apparently, the rest of Hatchetfield decided that it was the perfect time to get their coffee too. The little shop was packed full of all sorts of people and I barely fit inside the door. I tried seeing who was up at the counter but had no luck; a couple of businessmen were blocking my view as they stood waiting for their orders. Everyone was being very loud, talking to the people they walked in with over the sound of all the machines whirring and orders being taken. It was overwhelming, but I tried to keep myself as calm as possible. 

“I’ve got a half-caff no whip extra caramel for Ben!” A barista’s voice broke through the din, but no one made a move to grab the drink that was being held above the counter. “Half-caff no whip extra caramel for Ben!” I looked around the small shop but still no one made a move to the counter. “Jesus, seriously?! Come pick up your damn coffee by yourself then!” 

There was a clearing of people as the barista started yelling and I was shocked at the sight. It was Emma, but instead of the friendly demeanor she had had all last week, she looked ready to kill. Her apron had coffee stains down the front and what looked like caramel and chocolate sauce smeared on the bottom. Her hair was frizzy from working with the hot drinks and falling out of her up-do. But what was most shocking to me was her expression. She looked so angry, like she was ready to snap at the next person who ordered. Not at all like how she was Saturday night.

It took me a while to get up to the front of the line, but by the time I did the crowd had decreased dramatically. I stood, waiting patiently while Emma was trying to talk to a customer picking up his order.

“I’m sorry, sir, is there a problem with your order?” I glanced over quickly at the man. He was kind of short, with his hair combed over to hide a bald spot. Just an average Hatchetfield office worker if you asked me.

“Yeah, I asked for three pumps of raspberry and it really tastes like you only put in two.” His voice was nasally and grated on my ears, and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. That has got to be the most frivolous thing to complain about.

“Oh, well, I’m sorry, I can put in an extra pump for you.” I pretended to look at the menu while he was talking to her, but I could hear the strain in Emma’s voice.

“No, I don’t want that, I want a discount on my order.” He placed both his hands on the counter and leaned closer to Emma, and I could feel my heartbeat pick up. Not a good sign.

“I’m sorry sir, but I can’t give you a discount on something you’ve already paid for. The transaction’s already gone through-” 

“Where’s the manager? If you won’t do it, I’ll get him to.” I looked at Emma, whose face was pinched in anger.

“I’m the only one working this morning, my manager is out and SHE won’t be back until this afternoon. I can give you the goddamn extra pump that you think I missed but I cannot give you a discount.” She gave him a fake smile. “I’m sorry, but that’s just company policy.”

The man turned red in the face and started screaming at her, and I froze on the spot. Had it been me on the receiving end, there would have been tears for sure, but Emma took it like a champ, standing straight with her arms crossed, looking almost bored. He continued yelling until he was out of the door, and by then everyone else had cleared out too. The door slammed shut with the bell clanging wildly, and I jumped at the sound. Emma sighed heavily and wiped at her face, shaking her hands. She looked up and locked eyes with me, I guess she hadn’t noticed I was there earlier. She looked like she was a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar and cleared her throat lightly. 

“Hi, Melissa.” She spoke quietly and I barely heard what she was saying. “Um, the usual big order?”

“No, no not today.” I was quick to interject, hoping the thought of not having to prepare over ten coffees would help placate her. “Just three orders today.”

Emma had gone to the coffee machine and began pulling down cups, blocking her face from me. “Oh, wow. Um, did everyone hightail it over to Starbucks after drinking our coffee for a week?” She started making me a tea, probably to keep her hands busy. That’s what I would do at least.

“Oh, no, it’s not that. We got a ton of new work over the weekend, some client saw that some research was messed up so the whole project has to be redone. I don’t really understand it myself but it’s taken over the whole office.” Emma walked passed where I was standing and I handed her the slip of paper with the other orders on it. “So it’s just a few of us getting coffee today, I guess people panicked about the work and made some in the break room.”

Emma took the slip from me and began making the other drinks. It fell silent as she prepped the machines and I tapped my foot lightly against the linoleum floor. 

“Does that happen a lot to you?” The words were out of my mouth before I knew what I was saying, and I covered my mouth with a hand. Emma looked over at me, a mix of surprise and confusion on her face before her expression became embarrassed. 

“You heard that, huh?” I nodded, but she wasn’t looking at me so I hummed a confirmation. “It’s not usually that bad, but yeah, here it happens a lot. Especially during a rush like that, and at least three times a shift when I work alone.” 

“I’m sorry about that, that’s terrible.” Emma tucked the cups into the to-go tray and rang up the orders.

“Eh, you get used to it working in the service industry, especially food and drink. One time, I had a mom come in with her kids, who couldn’t have been over seven years old, and let them all order black coffees. Then she sat there and let the kids get hyped up on caffeine and make this place a mess, then complained to me about how dirty it was here before she left!” 

“You’re kidding!” I went through the motions of paying for the drinks as we continued talking, catching Emma’s head shake as I signed.

“I wish I was. And that’s not even the worst story I have.” She handed me the receipt and I picked up the tray. “Next time you’re in here I can tell you some truly awful stories, if you don’t have to get back right away.” She looked almost hopeful and my stomach flipped. She wanted me to stick around and chat with her?

“Yeah, of course!” I might have responded a bit too enthusiastically, but Emma smiled and I didn’t care. “Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“See you tomorrow.” Emma grabbed a rag to wipe down the counter as I left to head back to the office, a spring in my step that had nothing to do with caffeine.

* * *

The week seemed to crawl by; with how little work I had to do on my end and how busy everyone else in the office seemed to be, I felt a little helpless. But at least I got to visit Emma every day by myself this week, Paul was still buried in his work. I had stuck around at least ten minutes after I had paid for the orders, having short conversations with Emma. Thankfully the office was so busy that no one noticed how long I had been gone, not even Mr. Davidson. Then Saturday rolled around and I didn’t know what to do with myself. I cleaned my apartment and reorganized my softball gear, and I ended up watching some crappy Netflix Original movies until it was nearly seven. I bundled up and walked out to my car, driving slowly to the bar for drinks. With the sun setting so quickly in the winter, the time that we all meet up gets earlier and earlier. I sat in my car for a moment before turning it off, trying to soak up the soft Christmas music playing on the radio before I had to face the Saturday night noise. It’s not that I didn’t want to hang out with the guys from the office, it’s just that I hated how loud and close everything was in the bar. I’d much prefer going out to a restaurant for food, but Ted had adamantly refused to do that and if Ted didn’t come, then Charlotte wouldn’t come and the whole group would break apart.

So we meet at a crowded bar every Saturday instead.

The warmth of the bar hit me as I opened the door, trying to slip inside without letting too much escape. The people in the hallway shouted complaints about the chill as I hurried past, trying to get to the group without confrontation. I spotted them quickly at a corner booth and slid inside. So far only Bill and Ted were there, both good signs. That meant that Paul wouldn’t have already dominated the conversation and Charlotte wouldn’t be all over Ted. She does a good job of keeping quiet about the affair at work, but since we were off company time and she knew that her husband would never come here she attacked Ted like a teenager. 

“Hey, Melissa!” Ted mockingly toasted my arrival and Bill followed suit, probably thinking the man was being genuine. I smiled and grabbed the drink menu, browsing the selection.

“Hi Melissa, how was your day?” Bill was always so sweet, and he always really wanted to know. He was my favorite coworker.

“Ah, today was pretty slow, but I got some house-cleaning done!” I smiled at him and set the menu down. “How about you?”

“Ack, don’t ask him that, he’ll be talking for ages!” Ted groaned dramatically and leaned back against the booth. Bill shot him a glare before he turned back to me.

“Well, this was my week for Alice to stay in Hatchetfield, so today I took her to the movies. We went and saw this movie called A Simple Favor, which I thought was going to be a chick flick or something, but it turned out to be a movie with murder and all sorts of things that my daughter shouldn’t have seen, not when she’s seventeen! Safe to say I was embarrassed, so I tried to make it up to her, but she just wanted to hang out with Deb-”

Bill was cut off by the arrival of Charlotte, to Ted’s great relief. Paul showed up not too long after and then we all ordered drinks, Ted and Bill reordering.

“We can finally relax now that the Goldenstien firm is handled. God, that was annoying!” Paul picked up the conversation and I was soon lost in all the jargon and complaining. I sat back and sipped at my drink, letting the chilled alcohol settle in my stomach. I was happy to let them talk, but I wished I could be more involved in their conversations.

“...and I didn’t even get Beanie’s coffee all week either, I was just too darn busy!” Paul ended his round of complaining and I jumped in before someone else got a chance.

“Oh, well, it’s not like you missed much, it’s the same black coffee that you’d make in the break room, and we didn’t have to pay the price of you ordering the largest size possible!” That got a laugh from Bill and a small bubble of pride swelled in my chest. Paul’s expression soured slightly and he took a large sip of his drink.

“Oh, ‘Lissa, it’s not the coffee he was missing sweetheart, it’s the barista that gives it to ‘em.” Ted laughed at his own joke and Charlotte giggled as well from her seat on Ted’s lap. “God, Paul, you would not shut up about the ‘latte hot-tey’ at all this week, it was all I could hear, even from my cubicle!”

“I don’t call her that Ted, that’s demeaning!” Paul’s face was bright red and everyone laughed at his reaction. I didn’t, I could feel the heat rising in my own cheeks and knew that I was probably just as red in the face as Paul. But no one was paying attention to me, they kept teasing Paul. I could hear Ted coming up with more horrible names for Paul to call Emma and Bill attempting to encourage Paul to ask her out and I tried not to pay attention. I finished my drink pretty quickly and slid out of the booth.

“Where you going Melissa?” Charlotte had finally come up for air and stared at me. Everyone else turned to me and the conversation lulled.

“I’m going to get another drink, didn’t want to wait for our waiter to swing around again.” Bill looked at me like he wanted to say something so I kept talking. “Can I get anyone anything?”

“I’ll take another Shirley Temple, here’s the cash for it.” Bill handed me some folded money and I smiled. No one else said anything so I spun around to grab the drinks, avoiding Paul’s half raised hand. I strode up to the bar and ordered Bill’s Shirley Temple and asked for a Long Island Iced Tea. I wished it could be a different kind of tea, but if the conversation was going to be all about how Paul was all about Emma, I’d need something strong to get me through it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's the crabby barista we all know and love! I'm totally not going to be writing horrible customers based on my own experience, nope not at all. Also, we all know that Melissa and Bill would totally get along, and that he would absolutely make the dad move of taking his daughter to see an inappropriate movie for them to watch together. He's such a sweetie to write oml. And we finally get to see the gang together outside of the office! Let me know what you think, comments and kudos are always appreciated and I melt when I see the notification pop up.


	4. Green Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ted thinks he's smooth by visiting Emma, and Emma asks Melissa for a favor

Melissa’s POV

I woke up the next day with a killer hangover, and basically laid in bed until Monday morning. Once I had settled him at work, I noticed sticky notes with Mr. Davidson’s handwriting all over my monitor and my desk, tasks scribbled down haphazardly. I sighed and threw my blazer over the back of my chair, getting to work peeling them off and rewriting them legibly so I knew what I was actually doing all day. I spent the entire morning trying to finish the to-do list, but it seemed that after I got through two tasks Mr. Davidson would pop out of his office to give me another one. I barely glanced at the clock, and by the time I did look up from my work it was because I heard Ted talking loudly as he walked into the office. With a Beanies Chai Iced Tea. 

“Hey there ‘Lissa!” He stopped in front of my desk as I straightened up, sipping on his drink. I hated that nickname that he gave me, but thankfully he was the only one that used it. “Busy morning?”

“Oh, for sure. Mr. Davidson certainly has a lot for me to cover now that he’s not worried about the Goldstien firm.” I looked back down at my list and hurried to cross off something I had forgotten I had already done. Ted chuckled, the sound coming from the back of his throat.

“Yeah, I figured. That’s why I decided to walk down to Beanies myself, didn’t want to bother you. And between you and me, I don’t really get what Paul sees in that barista. She’s too short and angry, nearly got into a shouting match with her because she couldn’t take a compliment.” The pen stilled in my hand as Ted paused to take another drink. “She makes a damn nice coffee though, gotta give her that. Anyway, figured I’d stop by and let you know that the coffee orders were handled today, Paul’s still down there with everyone else’s orders.”

I tried to hide my shock as best I could, smiling politely at Ted. “Thanks, Ted, I really appreciate that.” That seemed to be what he had been waiting for and he left, throwing a ‘Bye, Melissa’ over his shoulder. I tried to shake the thought of Emma having to deal with Ted out in the wild or Paul alone out of my mind, but I couldn’t focus on my work. I decided to take a walk around the office to clear my head and got away from my desk, walking in a loop to the different departments. I peeked my head into Bill’s cubicle and we chatted, mostly about how Alice had spent her last day with Deb before leaving for Clivesdale. I felt for Bill, he just wanted to spend time with his daughter. He couldn't help but be a little obsessed. 

When I got back to my desk, I found a Beanies cup perched on the top rim of my desk with a note stuck to the cup. I grabbed it and peeled off the note, reading it with a smile.

_ Paul tried to tell me your usual was a green tea, what a dork! Have a good day, don’t work too hard ;) -Em _

I could feel blush rising up my face and I folded the note in half. I had every intention of sticking it in my pocket and getting back to work, but then writing on the opposite side caught my attention. I unfolded the note again and flipped it over. It was in much smaller handwriting and I had to squint slightly to read it.

_ I told Ted and Paul that I was writing an Itemized check for you to pay later, but I figured you’d want to stop in for a break. I may have lied and told them you pay in advance now, but that was just to get Ted out of here. Stop in later to pay so Nora doesn’t kill me! _

I had barely finished reading the note before I had my blazer back on, tugging my coat off the rack and telling Mr. Davidson I was taking my lunch break.

* * *

I entered Beanies, and it looked as dead as it was that Saturday when I came in. I walked up to the counter and looked towards the back room.

“Emma? It’s Melissa, I’m here to pay for the CCRP order!” I tried calling out to back, and after a few seconds the barista came from around the corner. She smiled as she came up to the counter and I reflexively smiled back.

“Cool, thank you for coming in so quickly! I figured that Paul didn’t have the company card on him, and I hope to god that that guy Ted didn’t.” I pulled out the card as she talked and punched in all the orders. “God, Ted was such a creep! He kept staring at me when my back was turned, I could feel his beady little eyes following me.” I laughed at her description as she shuddered. 

“Yeah, that sounds like Ted. He has that reputation of being the office Jackass, but he’s pretty nice to me.” Emma finished typing in orders and I started paying for them.

“Well, at least I know he has some amount of respect. He kept nudging Paul whenever I talked to them, which wasn’t a whole lot, mind you, and then when he thought I couldn’t hear he called me the Latte Hot-tey! I mean, what the fuck is that?!” I cringed inwardly at the fact that Ted had acted like that. 

“I’m sorry Emma, that’s disgusting.”

“Yeah, I know! I called him out on it and told him to can it, and he told me it was a compliment! God, I was so close to punching him right in his tiny dick. And he strolled out of the place the second I handed him his coffee, didn't even wait for Paul to leave!” She seemed to calm down once she handed me the receipt. “And, I mean, Paul was super nice and apologetic about it, he even offered to pay for all the coffee himself to make up for it.” A small smile pulled at her face and my own became more hesitant as she continued. “We got to talking for a little bit, and right before he left he asked me out to dinner. He said that he still felt bad about Ted and wanted to make it up to me somehow. I told him that I’d go, I mean who would pass up a free dinner?”

“Yeah.” It was all I could manage out of me. I felt really weird, like I’d been hit by a pitch or something. Emma was smiling though, she seemed kind of excited to go out with Paul. So I smiled as best as I could.

“You know Paul, right? Like, beyond the two of you being coworkers?” I nodded and her smile got even bigger. “Okay, so since you know him, I’m gonna give you my phone number, and we can talk about stuff I can talk with him about so I’m not going on and on about Biology and he doesn’t have a clue what I’m talking about and he skips out on the check or whatever.” Emma scribbled her number on the back of the receipt and hands it back to me. “Text me when you get out of work and we can talk and stuff.” 

I nodded, and then made up some excuse of having to go back to the office. Emma looked surprised but I didn’t say anything, leaving the cafe as quickly as I could. I walked back up the block to a lunch spot that I always went to on my break. I blamed the winter wind for my eyes watering.

* * *

The day dragged on after lunch; every time Paul passed by my desk I thought about how he got to go on a date with Emma. 

Paul. And Emma. Together for dinner on a date. 

I had never been more thankful for a workday to end in my life.

I was idling at a stoplight when the thoughts came back to me. God, why did Paul get all the luck in the world? He’s the most boring person alive, all he ever talked about was work and… work. That’s the only thing I had ever heard Paul talk about besides Emma. That made me grin; their date would probably go terribly. He was so boring, and Emma was so interesting. They were polar opposites. A horn sounded behind me and I jolted out of my thoughts, I hadn’t even noticed the light had turned green. 

Once I got home I started making dinner for myself, leaning against the counter waiting for the water in the pot to boil. I pulled out my phone from my pocket, then rifled through my blazer pockets for Emma’s number. Her other note fell out onto the floor and I picked it up, setting it on my dining room table. I felt the thin receipt paper and pulled it out, smoothing the rumpled material down so I could read the numbers. I put in her contact name, blushing slightly to myself as I did so and shot her a text.

_ Hey, this is Melissa! _

Em (Beanies)

_ Hey! Glad my handwriting was legible _

_ Yeah haha, I was afraid that I might have gotten _

_ the wrong number! How was the rest of work? _

Em (Beanies)

_ It was as good as working minimum wage _

_ at a coffee shop can get! Hbu? _

_ Busy, but I was glad that I got a decent break in _

_ the middle of my day. _

Em (Beanies)

_ Anytime, babe ;) _

I hated that I flushed uncontrollably when I saw her text, and I set the phone down to toss in the pasta I was making and start on my sauce. I got so into the cooking that I barely noticed my screen lighting up several times. It wasn’t until I was getting my food onto a plate did I realize that Emma had texted me. I carried my plate over to the dinner table as I read.

Em (Beanies)

_ So, tell me about Paul? Does he have any _

_ weird hidden talents or stupid anecdotes _

_ I can bring up? _

_ Melissa? Still there? _

_ Sorry if the babe thing threw you off, it was _

_ what I called all my friends in high school _

I set down my plate and started eating as I replied, trying to answer as quickly as I could.

_ Sorry, I was making dinner for myself! The babe _

_ thing is totally cool, I don’t mind it at all _ . _ As for Paul, _

_ you might want to keep away from anything related _

_ to musicals. The guy hates them, no one can _

_ figure out why. _

Em (Beanies)

_ What?! _

_ Who doesn’t like musicals, they’re _

_ like movies but more interesting! _

  
We texted back and forth while I ate, and did the dishes, and tucked away the food. Emma must really be on a college schedule, because she didn’t hesitate in her replies even as it crept towards midnight. I shot her a good night text, which immediately got the response of ‘ _ goodnight, babe _’, and I fell asleep blushing, a big smile on my face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh, a curve ball! What will poor Melissa do? She's totally jealous and she doesn't even know it yet! Plus, texting dialogue? What is this crazy format journey I'm going on?! Let me know what you thought in the comments, and what you think will happen on Paul and Emma's date! Kudos and comments are always welcomed and always loved.


	5. Ice Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma goes on her date with Paul, and Melissa is not jealous, not at all, how could you even suggest-

Melissa POV

Emma and I had been texting back and forth constantly over the Thanksgiving holiday. I hadn’t gone back to Clivesdale for my family’s celebration and spent it alone instead, enjoying the break. Emma sent me at least twenty texts over the weekend complaining about the homework she had gotten and the fact that Nora insisted on being open during Thanksgiving night and Black Friday to compete for the shoppers staying up all night. The week after, we talked about anything, mostly about how bored we both were at work. She sent me a ton of pictures in her Beanies uniform when it was slow or her in class. She’d always say something like ‘i look like trash’ and I’d always assure that she didn’t. She looked stunning in all of them, even her early morning pictures she called her ‘I want to die selfies’. I was always too afraid to send back a full selfie in case Mr. Davidson noticed so I took quick ones that really only showed my face from the nose up. Emma would respond with hundreds of emojis.

My phone buzzed as I was shutting down my monitor for the day and I glanced at the screen briefly.

Emma (Beanies)

_ I’m trying to choose between these outfits for my  _

_ dinner tonight with Paul, what one do you think  _

_ says ‘I want to get a free dinner and maybe more  _

_ if I feel up to it after I shove pasta down my throat’? _

_ 3 images attached _

I read the text on my lock screen then tucked the phone into my pocket. They had set the date for December 10th a while ago and I never thought a day could come so quickly and so slowly at the same time. But there was no need to take a look at the pictures now when I’m trying to get out of the office. I slung my laptop bag over my shoulder and was nearly at the door when I hear Mr. Davidson. 

“Melissa! Come in here for a sec!” I groan inwardly and turn back to his office. I had to pass by Ted as he left for the day, and I heard him chuckling under his breath. I’m going to be here forever tonight. 

“Yes, Mr. Davison?” I plastered a fake smile on my face and stood in the doorway to his office. He didn’t like it when people entered without him first saying so. 

“Come on in Melissa, take a seat.” I did what he asked and folded my hands in my lap, waiting for his big speech before he hit me with the overtime I'd be doing. “Melissa, the Goldstein case last week was an absolute fiasco, to say the least. A huge firm that gave us work to do for them, and what did we do? Mess up on the very first step of our job and give them a flawed product. You have no idea how hard I had to work to keep their business. It was a feat of genius, if I do say so myself.” He smiled smugly and looked at me from across his desk.

“Oh yes, you sure did a lot of good PR for the company, we’re lucky to have you around to keep us afloat.” The words tasted sour coming out of my mouth, but I’ve played this game with my boss enough to know that he wants to be complimented for doing his job.

“Exactly, and as the leader of this company I don’t want it to happen again.” He stood and paced back and forth behind his desk, the action setting me on edge. I had a feeling he knew that that’s what would happen. “So, tonight before you head home I want you to go through the handbooks we had drawn up for the Goldstein firm’s request and let me know if anything seems off to you. There’s about five or six of them, I’ve emailed them to you. I’ve got to head home, I told Carol that I had big plans tonight. You’ve met Carol, yes?”

I nodded politely. “Yes, I have. She’s a lovely woman.” Mr. Davison also constantly talked about how ‘sexy’ she is, but I'm not about to bring that up when it sounds like he’s almost out of the door. 

“Yeah.” He wiggled his jaw. “Well, alright, that’s all I needed you for, I’ll be off. Have a nice night Melissa.” He practically shooed me out of his office and strode out of the door, leaving me alone on the floor until I got through the handbooks. I sat down at my desk with a heavy sigh and turned on my monitor again. As it booted up, I took out my phone and decided to check out the pictures Emma sent. It’s not like anyone was there to notice.

The first image showed Emma posing dramatically in front of her mirror, wearing a low-cut purple top and high waisted dark jeans. Her hair was done up in a twist and her makeup was dark and smokey, accenting her eyes. The second picture was the same pose, but with a cozy-looking olive green sweater and light-colored jeans. In both pictures, her eyes were downcast to show off her eyeshadow, but as I scrolled to the third picture her eyes were boring right into the camera. The picture took my breath away. 

Emma was posing the same way she had in the first two images and her makeup was the same, but her hair was down and resting just under her shoulders. She was wearing a royal blue dress that cinched at her waist then flared out, reaching her knees. The dress was sleeveless and wrapped around her neck at the top, and her toned arms were on display. Now that she wasn’t in her Beanie’s uniform I could tell that she was pretty tan, she must have spent all summer at the beach or something to keep that up. It brought me to a full stop, weighing the option of telling her how good she looked in that dress over telling her not to wear it for Paul. Something about Paul getting to see her tonight and not me was coaxing the jealousy in my brain. Not that I was jealous that she was going on a date with Paul and not me; Emma was just a friend. Besides, I wasn’t even-

I texted her back with a quick reply.

_ You should definitely go for the first one,  _

_ the purple top with the jeans. It matches  _

_ your _ _ smokey eye look! _

Em (Beanies)

_ Thanks babe, I’ll let you know if anything _

_ weird comes up. Might need you to rescue me _

_ If he’s too weird or boring or something _

I grinned and set my phone down, logging into my computer. At least I had something to look forward to while I scrolled through handbooks. I pulled up the files that Mr. Davidson had sent me and clicked on the first one. A little icon saying “page 1 of 68” popped up on my screen and I sunk miserably into my chair. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

  
  
  


I ended up keeping my phone away from me as I worked, wanting as little distraction as I could get as I worked slowly but surely through the handbooks. It wasn’t as nearly as slow going as I thought it would be, and the idea of getting paid overtime to read kept me going. I was taking a quick sip of the water I had at my desk, just starting the fourth handbook when my ringtone went off. I jumped at the sound and reached for my phone with every intention of turning it on silent until I saw the contact name.

_ Emma (Beanies) _

Her profile picture lit up my screen, a picture of her posing in her Beanies uniform flipping off the camera. I unlocked my phone and took the call.

“Hello?”

“Mel, hey, holy shit, have you been getting my texts?” Her voice was quiet, like she was whispering.

“No, sorry, I’m still stuck at the office, Mr. Davidson wanted me to go over some files so I’m working overtime alone tonight.”

“Oh, shit, sorry about that man. Long story short about my texts though, Paul is super boring and kind of a creep. He keeps staring at me while I talk, and he’s sure as hell not making eye-contact. I’ve done most of the talking here and-” she lowered her voice even more, I could barely hear her, “he wants to take me back to his place and I’ve said no like four times and he isn’t getting the hint. He’s offering to drive me back to mine and he’s the one who picked me up from there and I don’t know how to get out of this. I lived alone in South America for like twelve years, I’m not used to American dating culture.”

Shock hit me like ice water as Emma spoke. I had known Paul to be a straight-forward kind of guy, and I warned her of that, but he was pushing her. I had had no idea he was like that. I also had no idea that she lived in South America for that long, it explained the tan thing a bit, but that was a conversation for another time, this was serious. 

“Okay, um, so what we’re gonna do is pretend like I’m your boss calling you and you have to get back to Beanies to do something. You aren’t too far away from there right?”

“No, no I’m pretty close to Beanies, it’s only like a block or two away.” I could hear the anxiety in her voice over the phone and it made my heart pound.

“Okay, so you just get up and leave, don’t let him talk you into driving you there or anything, and call or text me again when you’re out of there. I’ll come pick you up and I can take you back to your place.”

“Oh my god, Melissa, thank you, you’re amazing.”

“I’ve had my fair share of rough dates in the past, I totally get what you’re going through. I’ll talk to you in a bit, okay?” I waited until I got confirmation from her before I hung up. I left a messy note for Mr. Davidson about how an emergency came up and I had to leave before getting through all of the handbooks. Hopefully that will keep him from asking questions until I could come up with something better. I shut down everything and locked up the office, walking to my car as I got another call. 

I answered as quickly as I could, shutting my door behind me. “Hey, Emma, you got out of there okay?”

“Yeah, I’m walking over to Beanies now, he tried telling me I shouldn’t walk when it’s so cold outside but I basically shoved the rest of my food in a box and ran out of there.” I blasted the heat in my car, trying to get it warmed up. Christmas music played gently on the radio as I shifted the car into reverse.

“Okay, I’m on my way to get you, I’m driving a dark green Buick.” I pulled out of the parking lot and drove through the quiet streets. Not many people were out and about on a Tuesday night and with the snow falling pretty heavily no one wanted to be walking. I leaned over my wheel as I drove, trying to pick out Emma on the sidewalks as I drove down the roads.

“Okay.” Emma was quiet for a few moments. “God, do you think Paul would follow me?”

I turned down the sideroad Beanie’s front door was situated on, flashing my lights when I spotted the short woman. “I see you! I’m driving up.” I watched Emma stop walking and turn around, relief evident on her face as she came around to the passenger side door. She flung it open and a blast of cold air and snowflakes came with her; she shut the door quickly and shrugged on her seatbelt. 

“Thank you so much Melissa, I honestly don’t know what I’d have done, like seriously. He was so excited about taking me home or to his place and-” She broke off to shudder, and I honestly could tell if it was because she was cold from walking those few blocks or from the thought of spending any more time with Paul.

I hoped it was the latter.

“Don’t even worry about it, I was just around the block anyways. Besides, you’re my friend, I’d have done this for you even if I was curled up in bed.” I could see Emma tense up from the corner of my eye as I watched the road. We had pulled up to a stoplight so I dared to look at her. Shock had frozen her face and she practically had her jaw in her lap.

“You- you would?”

“For sure! What else are friends for?” The light turned green and I started driving again. I had looked away too quickly to tell, but I could’ve sworn that she was blushing. “So, what’s your address?”

Emma fiddled with her hands in her lap and looked out of the passenger window, looking hesitant to say something. “Actually, and you can totally say no, but I’m kinda afraid that Paul will be at my place. He- he picked me up for the date so he knows my address and with the way he was acting at dinner-”

I picked up on her anxiety immediately. It was a rookie mistake letting the guy/stranger pick you up from your house instead of meeting them there, but I wasn’t about to tell her and make her feel terrible. “If you want to stay at my place tonight you can. I really only live a few blocks from here, it’s near a bus stop if you need to catch a ride somewhere in the morning.”

Emma let out a loud sigh of relief and nodded. “I’m sorry for imposing so last minute and I know that you have work tomorrow so I’ll stay out of your way. Thank you, Melissa, I really appreciate it.” 

* * *

  
  
  


I pulled a soft blanket out of my closet and grabbed one of the pillows off my bed. Emma had suggested she take the couch and was currently heating up the leftovers she had snatched from her dinner with Paul. As concerned as I was for how the date had turned out and for how nervous Emma was, I couldn't help but feel proud that Emma had chosen me to reach out to and be vulnerable. I mean, I don’t know why I was getting so worked up about her and Paul, of course she wasn’t going to like him. And maybe now that she isn’t focused on him, she could focus on-

Nope. I stopped in the middle of the hallway, gripping the pillow and blanket tightly to my chest. She couldn’t feel that way about me, I’m not interested in girls. Girls aren’t interested in me, it’s not what happens. I need to shut those thoughts down before they fuck with me.

“Melissa?” Emma was calling me, probably from the kitchen. I exhaled through my teeth and relaxed my fingers, smoothing over where they had made indents in the blanket. 

“Coming!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so disclaimer- Paul is a bit of an asshole in this fic only because I'd like to highlight the way that a lot of guys act, even if they don't think they're a typical creep or misogynist. Sometimes men are trash and don't realize it, and in this cannon Paul is one of those guys. 
> 
> Also I got the digital ticket for Black Friday and if anyone wants to talk about it I want to talk about it so bad omg
> 
> Let me know what you think! Kudos and comments are always appreciated.


	6. Melted Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're back, and Emma takes control of the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! I've very much appreciated all of the kudos and comments on this work while I've been trying to figure out where to go. I know a lot of people say it, but those little reminders that people are interested in your story really helps me out. I wouldn't have been able to continue this without you! That being said, 2020 and quarantine and now college (two jobs and honors theater stuff) is making it really difficult for me to write consistently. I will try to post as often as I can, but I make no promises! Now, onto the story!

Chapter 6

Emma POV

I set the heated box on Melissa’s table as gently as I could without burning my hand on the bottom of it. The food hadn’t been all that much, just your typical slightly fancy Italian place they have all over this goddamn island. What I wouldn’t do for a steaming plate of  _ Chiles Rellenos  _ and some spiced mangos, anything other than this bland American shit. That was one thing I missed about Guatemala, even more than how free I felt; I could eat mountains of food and burn it all off hiking. Everything there was so vibrant, and everything here was…

Bland as fuck. The noodles were slightly overdone and chewy and the most seasoning the sauce had was salt. Pretty representational of Hatchetfield and all the goddamn people who live here. Bland.

Well, except-

“Hey, so I grabbed you a pillow and a blanket, I left them on the couch.” Melissa stood in the doorway into her kitchen with a small smile. I smiled back readily; she always seemed a lot calmer when I smiled at her.

“Hey, thanks. I uh, heated up my leftovers, did you want them? I don’t really feel like eating and it didn’t sound like you got the chance to eat dinner-”

“Um, yeah, sure, thank you.” She cut me off before I started rambling too much, which I was thankful for. After only talking to the odd hostel owner and food vendors in Guatemala, I hadn’t really had a genuine conversation until coming back to this craptown. That was not something I missed; it was lonely as hell down there. Melissa sat down across from me at her small dining table and started eating. We chatted as she ate, but even I could feel the tension in the air between us; she wanted to ask about the date, I could tell by the way she was hesitating before talking. I wasn’t about to bring it up, in all honesty I’d rather forget the whole thing even happened.

I’m so over dating men.

“So, Emma, you said that you lived in South America for twelve years?” Melissa locked eyes with me and I had to take a second for my brain to catch up.

That’s not what I expected her to ask at all.

“Uh, yeah, I wanted to see the world after high school so I took off like a week after graduation. Used all that graduation money to buy a bus ticket to Clivesdale then a plane ticket to the farthest place from here. I wound up in Guatemala, so not exactly South America, but at least all my Spanish classes didn’t go to waste. I converted all my money to quetzales and set up a monthly payment at a hostel. Then I just backpacked and shit, picked up odd jobs, helped with gardening and upkeep at the hostel to get money for food and clothes and that kind of thing.”

“Wow, I can’t even imagine doing something like that. My parents would’ve killed me.” Melissa really couldn’t have known what she said would sting, so I tried to cover up my discomfort with a laugh.

“Believe me, they tried. I got rid of my phone after a month or so living down there, I didn’t need it to live and that way my parents couldn’t leave me voicemails.” 

“So, what made you decide to come back, if everything was so nice in Guatemala?” 

I shifted in the seat, not really sure if it would be easier to brush it off or tell her. I know I had to tell someone about Jane eventually, it’s not like I can keep it a secret. But it had only been three months since she was gone, and I don't think I was ready for this conversation just yet.

“It was nothing, really. Just, the homesickness finally got to me. I missed snow, as stupid as that sounds. And speaking English, unless I was asked by tourists where to get somewhere because I looked whiter than anyone else there.” Both of those things were true, but it was still a lame ass excuse. Melissa acted like she bought it, even laughed at the joke I made. It helped me relax and I sank back into easy conversation. “So, uh, your asshole boss had you staying late, huh?”

Melissa rolled her eyes and huffed. “Yeah. I don’t think Mr. Davidson even realized he was doing it, or maybe he did and left me there by myself. Typically no one stays later than five o clock anyway, but he likes staying until six every day except Friday and I have to stay too because I’m his assistant on top of being the secretary. So he made me come into his office right as I was packing up because it was like 6:15 and told me that I had to look over a bunch of employee handbooks before tomorrow.” Now I felt guilt creeping into my chest. She clearly had had a lot of work to do tonight and I had interrupted her with asking questions about outfits for my date and calling and texting, and now I was sleeping on her couch? Melissa must have noticed that I had stopped paying attention and stopped talking. I looked back at her when I realized she had stopped and she was slightly red in the face. “I’m sorry, all that office talk can’t be interesting at all for you. It must be boring, I’m sorry.”

“What? Hey, don’t apologize. How many times have you sat and listened to me complain about my job?” I smiled and she smiled back, a little less genuine than mine, but at least it was something. I felt myself getting dangerously close to being vulnerable so I wrapped up what I was trying to say. “Complaining about shit is what friends do, right?” Nice save, Emma. Melissa smiled wider and nodded.

“Right.”

I rubbed my palms on my jeans, not sure how to continue. Every time I talk with Melissa I somehow want to start telling her everything, like how I feel and all that bullshit. But for some reason I just can’t bring myself to do it. So I divert.

“Would you mind if I used your bathroom? I need to get all this off my face.” I gestured lamely to the makeup I had done with so much thought and effort. I suddenly became very aware of the fact that I was dressed for a date and Melissa was still dressed for work, with her black pants and a nice ruffled top that was always hidden under her coat and blazer whenever I saw her. Except for that time she came in on my night shift I picked up for Zoe. She had been wearing leggings and a plain long sleeved shirt and her hair was tied up and in a baseball cap that drove me insane-

Keep it in your pants Perkins, Jesus. 

“Yeah, of course, it’s right down the hall, second door on the right.” I nodded and stood up, embarrassed of how shaky my legs were at the mere memory of Melissa in a baseball cap. I practically power walked to the bathroom and locked the door tightly behind me.

* * *

  
  


I was curled up on the couch under the blanket Melissa loaned me when she walked out of her room. I glanced over at the hall at the sound of the floorboards squeaking and saw Melissa standing in a red flannel pajama set with a small bundle of clothes tucked under her arm. Even in fucking lumberjack memorabilia she looked amazing. I mean, if I can find her attractive in a blazer I can find her attractive in anything. 

“I uh, figured you’d want to change out of your clothes into something softer to sleep in.” I couldn’t ignore the way her cheeks were blazing red, and I hated the way my stomach swooped at the implication. For Christ’s sake, all I was going to be doing is wearing her clothes for the night, I don’t have to act like a high schooler going to her first dance.

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” I stood to take the clothes out of her hands and jumped slightly at the contact. We both froze in place, standing a little too close together. Fuck, this dancing around the obvious was getting painful. I met her eyes and she immediately looked away, fluttering her eyelashes in a way that had to be calculated. I stepped away with the clothes, a little smirk on my face. Well, if she was going to keep up her avoidance act then I was going to step it up a notch. 

I set the clothes on the arm of the couch and turned around. I was already regretting the idea but I could feel Melissa’s eyes on me and I knew I couldn’t back down. Plus, there was something about her, something that made me want to take risks like this. Maybe it was because she was the first person I had talked to outside of work and professors in three months. Maybe it’s because I’m so unbelievably attracted to her, everything about her. She was so intelligent and caring, she always asked how I was before she started talking which is something that hardly anyone else does and means it as genuinely as she does. Melissa cares about me, and I care about her. I’d honestly say that I was obsessed with her, as if the countless texts I send a day didn’t prove that already. I practically wait for her to respond to anything I send her. 

Let’s hope this works.

I pulled my shirt up over head and off my body, my eyes closed in fear of her reaction. Not like I could see it, I was turned around. I heard a soft gasp and smiled nervously; it wasn’t a bad gasp, not at all. I opened my eyes and turned around to grab the shirt she was loaning me off the couch arm, turning back quickly to slip it on. I didn’t look to see Melissa’s face, but I figured since she wasn’t stopping me I was going to keep going. I shimmied out of my jeans and folded them neatly over my shirt before sliding on the soft cotton pants resting on the couch. Once I had cuffed the pants that were too long for me, sometimes I hated being so damn short, I turned back around fully to face Melissa. She was staring at me unashamedly, and I stared right back. I could feel the electricity, something was going to happen, I could feel it. She just needed to tell me.

“Emma, um, I uh.” As soon as she opened her mouth I could feel my confidence slipping. That's not a confession of love, that was embarrassed stammering. Shit. What the hell did I just do? I’d known her less than a month and already I was fucking stripping in front of her to try and get her to say she found me as attractive as I found her? What the hell was I thinking? I could feel tears springing up in my eyes and cursed myself again. Do not cry in front of Melissa, that’s the worst thing that could happen right now.

“Forget it.” The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them, sounding way too harsh. “Forget this, I’m sorry for intruding on your home, I can walk back to my place from here, it’s not far.” I started gathering up my clothes and my purse, now wanting nothing more than to leave immediately before I started sobbing in her apartment like an idiot. “Thanks for offering your place for me tonight, but I think I’ll be okay at mine.” I shoved my feet into my boots and attempted to shrug on my coat, still refusing to look at her. If I looked at her I was going to cry, I just know it.

“Emma, wait.” I felt Melissa’s hand on my shoulder and I froze, my breathing heavy from trying to hold back my tears. I turned around to face her and the stupid tears started to fall. She rushed forward to comfort me and then suddenly I was kissing her.

Soft. That was the first thing I noticed. Her lips were really soft, a lot softer than mine. Melissa was still as stone against me for a moment, and then she started responding, her lips meeting mine enthusiastically. I heard all my shit hit the floor as I dropped them to wrap my hands around her wrists, trying to anchor them to my shoulders, neck, face. My eyes slipped closed and I hummed, trying to press closer. I could taste saltwater from my stupid crying but I felt fireworks going off in my head. This was fucking amazing.

Until it wasn’t.

Melissa broke off the kiss all too soon and pulled her hands back to her chest as if she had been burned by touching my face. Her face was flushed and she stepped back, shaking her head slightly. Without my permission, my hand came up to touch my lips, the feeling of Melissa still lingering like a ghost.

“Mel-”

“I’m sorry. We can’t do this. We aren’t supposed to do this. I can’t —” She looked back frantically down the hall to where her bedroom was. “Emma…” 

“What, you already have a girlfriend or something back there I don’t know about?” I tried to laugh off Melissa’s panic and my own rising anxiety. “Or boyfriend, I mean, hey I won’t judge, I’m bisexual.”

“No, no it’s not that, it’s —” I watched her try to compose herself, but it was getting a little harder to breathe. Because god, if she’s not into me I just totally fucking violated her boundaries. “Isn’t this” she gestured between me and her, her brown eyes flicking around my face as she spoke. “supposed to be wrong? Isn’t this not supposed to happen?”

Oh. I felt my heart crack for the secretary as she stared at me. It wasn’t that she hated me, she didn’t understand what she was feeling. I stepped a little closer to her, my mood shifting from hurt to sympathy in a second.

“Do you want this to happen Melissa?” I slowly reached out a hand for her and she grabbed it tightly with her own. I led her to her couch to sit down, leaving plenty of space between us in case she wanted to bolt. “What are you feeling right now?”

“I don’t know!” Her outburst was sudden and she pulled her hand out of mine, running it through her hair. “I don’t know how I feel about you Emma! I’m so happy every time I see you and I hated the thought of you going out with Paul and… I don’t know what that means. I don’t like Paul, but I was jealous that the two of you were going on a date. Emma, what does that mean?” Her voice trembled and I inched closer to her, wrapping Melissa in a tight hug. She returned it, burying her head in my shoulder. All tension lost now, I rested my chin on the top of her head and ran my nails along her spine as I spoke.

“Hey, it’s okay if you don’t know what you’re feeling right now, okay? It’s confusing, I know. Trust me, I was where you are now when I was in high school, and it took me a long time to accept that what I was feeling wasn’t wrong or taboo. It’s perfectly normal, okay Mel? You’re normal, everything you feel is okay.” I felt her sobs wrack through her body and I held on tighter, rocking the both of us slightly as I tried to calm her down. 

I’m not sure how long we stayed on her couch like that, but eventually she lifted her head up from my shoulder and looked me in the eye. Her glasses were smudged and slightly steamy from her tears and her eyes were red-rimmed. I pulled away slightly so she could sit up on her own. “Are you doing okay babe?” The slip of the pet name did not go unmissed by either of us and Melissa smiled softly.

“‘M better. I’m gonna go to bed though, I have work in the morning.” I rubbed her shoulder and offered her a supportive smile.

“Okay hun. I’ll stay out here, you know if you have questions or want to talk about anything or just can’t sleep I’ll be here.” she nodded and stood, walking to her bedroom. I heard the door close and lock, then stood to make up the couch for myself. I shut off all the lights and make sure the door was locked before settling in, my mind racing. That was a lot of shit to process.

Feelings weren’t this complicated in Guatemala. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Will this ship ever sail? Who knows! As always, kudos and comments are appreciated.


	7. Broth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melissa overthinks what happened, and has a rough time. Thank god Emma's there, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next installment! I'm working on getting this fic back in gear, so hopefully updates can happen more frequently. Enjoy!

Melissa POV 

It had been a couple of days since… it, had happened in my living room. I wasn’t sure what to call it yet. Emma had been the one to kiss me, but I had kissed her back. And god, it felt good. It felt nice, like really nice. She had grabbed my hands and I was touching her face and it all felt  _ right _ . And then I remembered what my parents taught me about what was right and wrong and I had to stop it. Because even if something felt nice didn’t mean it was right.

I laid in bed afterward, trying to figure out what had happened, and what it meant. Because what Emma and I did was not something that people from Hatchetfield do. My parents would tell me awful things, about what a good person does and what people who were ‘beyond saving’ would do. What they told me scared me as a child, and apparently it still scares me now. But Emma was so kind, and so patient with me when I broke down. She didn’t seem beyond saving.

Was I? 

* * *

  
  
  


I had been stuck in a daze the day after. Emma waited for me as long as she could at my place before leaving for work, assuring me that I could text or call and she’d answer as soon as she could. I had walked into the office and was met with a furious Mr. Davidson; it was hard to tell when he was mad, but I always knew.

“Melissa, my office please!” His tone held a certain venom and I flinched. It was not going to be a good day. I walked into the doorway of his office, knowing that he liked to invite people in. It was his ridiculous attempt at a power grab and I was too fed up to try and call him out on it. I knocked lightly on his door, alerting him that I was here. He looked up from his laptop and offered a tight smile. “Close the door on your way in, take a seat.” I did as he asked, settling my hands in my lap nervously. I didn’t meet his eyes.

“Melissa, I walked in this morning to find a little sticky note on my door. Now, you know that receiving notes first thing is not something that I like to see, but to my surprise, it was a note from you. Telling me that you had an emergency and couldn’t finish the simple task of proofreading the handbooks last night.” He leaned back in his chair and tilted his head. “Want to tell me what happened?” 

I could tell from his tone there was no room for argument if I didn’t want to receive a mark on my file, so I cleared my throat. “Uh, I got a call from a relative, and they needed me to watch their house so they could go to the hospital?” I ended my excuse with a question in my voice, and I knew I had been caught. I could practically hear Mr. Davidson’s victory march as he leaned forward with a condescending smile.

“Now, Melissa, that doesn’t sound like the truth to me. And you know that here at CCRP Technical we base our business in honesty. And if the employees aren’t honest, how can the business be honest?” He rose from his desk and placed his hands on the flat surface, that stupid smile still plastered on his face. “Can you answer that for me, hun?”

Oh, I’ve never wanted to punch someone more. But I clasped my arms across themselves and took a deep breath, steeling myself for what I was going to say. “Mr. Davidson, it was a big task to ask me to complete in one night. It was nearing nine-thirty at night and I had just made it through half when I got the call-”

“Well, why didn't you work at a faster pace? All I asked you to do was to proofread some handbooks, not write them.” He chuckled and his smile lost the fake warmth. “It’s not a hard job to do Melissa. If you can’t complete that task in the timeframe, maybe I should have a look at your responsibilities here at CCRP.”

My blood ran cold and my eyes shot to the floor. I didn’t say a word, nodding numbly as he continued talking about how I needed to ‘step it up’ and ‘learn to handle a changing office environment’ and got out of there as quickly as possible without provoking him again. 

“You’re good to go, dear.” I cringed at the term, turning quickly and avoiding his gaze. “And Melissa?” I turned, letting out a small ‘hmm?’ He shot me that disgusting smile again, eyes raking my form. “Get Carol on the phone for me.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


The past couple of days had been one terrible thing after the other. I think Emma was avoiding talking as much with me because she thought I wanted to avoid her, but I really wanted nothing more than to talk to her. To tell her the terrible things Mr. Davidson had asked me to do, the most menial tasks in the office, practically just answering phones and cleaning up after everyone. It was cruel and unusual punishment, but I needed to keep this job. I barely slept at night, my mind either overcome with fear of what the next day would bring or wrestling with the fact that everything I thought I knew about myself was incorrect. I had tried to stop using the word ‘wrong’; it made me all kinds of sad and angry and guilty.

My trips to Beanies had been as quick as I could make them without being rude to Emma, but I knew she could tell something was different. She texted me a lot over the rest of the week and I’d brush it off, but by Friday I couldn’t put it off anymore. I had turned my phone on silent once I had stepped into work, and by the time I left, there were around fifteen texts from Emma that were all along the same lines.

Em (Beanies)

_ Hope you’re having a good day, babe _

_ I love you, you’re perfect and amazing _

_ If you need me, let me know. I don’t have any plans over  _

_ the weekend, so we can do something together for fun _

I knew I couldn’t just curl up and hide from the world, from Emma, even if I wanted to. It was finally time to face my feelings, even if they scared the shit out of me. I sat in my car after work, my finger hovering over the call option on Emma’s contact. I released a slow breath and hit the icon, holding my phone up to my ear as it rang. It only took two rings for her to pick up.

“Hey!” Her voice was very cheery on the other end, and it lifted my spirits. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. “What’s up, how are you?”

“Hey.” I realized that my voice sounded tired compared to hers, and I really didn’t want Emma to worry, so I tried to liven it up. “I’m doing good! I just got out of work for the week and saw your texts. I was thinking maybe we can hang out tomorrow, I usually go to drinks with people from the office but I wouldn’t mind skipping out. It’s been a long week.”

“I fuckin feel that one!” Emma’s outburst made me laugh, a slight blush coming into my cheeks. “Yeah, Saturday totally works for me! Were you thinking of going out somewhere or staying in?”

“I hadn’t really thought that far ahead.” I ran my hand through my hair, feeling nervous again. What if she didn’t want to do what I thought would be fun? “Maybe we could text more when I get home and we can figure that out together?” 

“For sure! Yeah, don’t text and drive, be safe out there on the roads. We can talk more when you’re home.”

“Okay, talk to you then! Bye.”

* * *

  
  
  


We had decided to just stay in after texting back and forth about our shitty weeks. The semester had just ended for Emma so now she was exhausted from finals but picking up as many Beanies shifts that she could in her free time. I was idiotically nervous to have Emma over for the day, and I had to convince myself that I had no reason to be so anxious. We had decided on ordering in a nice lunch and watching movies, something real chill so we could just be around each other. I tried to ignore how my heart sped up at the thought of being alone with Emma, no work, no distractions. Just us.

I put way too much thought into what I was going to wear and landed on a super soft maroon sweater and some of my ‘around the house’ leggings that still looked cute enough to pass as actual pants. I was halfway through debating the pros and cons of straightening my hair when I heard a knock at my front door. I practically ran to open it up.

Emma was standing in the hallway of my apartment building, an absolute vision wrapped in a charcoal coat. Snowflakes were still melting in her white wool beanie and stuck in her stray hairs, and in her gloved hands, she had a bag full of blankets and alcohol. 

“I wasn’t sure if you had a preference for drinks, so I just brought a bunch of different shit. I’ve got, like, the regular stuff, and I think I threw some wine in the bottom-”

“That’s great, Emma! Thanks for offering to bring drinks.” I watched her shuffle the bag between hands and realized that we were still standing in the doorway. “Come on in, make yourself at home.” 

It was a little tense as Emma stepped in and took off her winter gear and set her bag on the floor. I can’t help but think back to last week, when we were nearly in the same place in my apartment. But things were different now, right? We got that awkward moment out of the way and now Emma and I can just hang out.

Then Emma turned around after hanging up her coat and all semblance of ‘keeping it cool’ flew out the window.

She was wearing that cozy olive sweater that she had shown me, in one of the potential date outfits for her disaster of a night with Paul. In place of light-colored jeans, she had opted for what was clearly a pair of fleece pajama pants. Her hair was down and a little frizzy from the snowflakes, and I could see the wool socks tucked over the hem of her pant legs.

She looked amazing. 

“So I know that little bistro down the street has amazing soups and chilis if you want to go that route for lunch.” Emma pulled a blanket out of her bag as she spoke. “Or we can do whatever you want, I figured with all the snow outside, it’d be nice to do something warm, but I’m down to eat anything!” 

I couldn’t help but grin at the sight of Emma curling up on my couch under an oversized grey blanket and realized I had been staring. Yikes, this wasn’t going nearly as smoothly as I thought. “Uh, yeah, I like the idea of soup, it sounds really good.” Oh my god, that was probably the lamest thing I could have ever said.

Thankfully, Emma pretended not to notice and grinned at me. “Cool, we can order now, so it’ll be delivered in like a half an hour or something.”

We agonized over what to get for far too long, resulting in a playful argument about whether stew and chili were a subset of soup or their own thing. Emma got really into it, gesturing wildly and threatening to order every kind of bowl-based meal the bistro had, just to prove they all were the same thing. I was so entranced by her that I dropped my side of the argument, just to see her smug grin as she filled out the order.

I was a goner for sure.

“Okay, the app says it’ll be here in like twenty-five minutes, so that’s plenty of time to pick out a movie!” Emma set her phone down and looked at me expectantly. “What movie were you thinking of?”

“Oh! Well, I was thinking we could watch something holiday-ish, since it’s getting pretty close to Christmas now. Maybe something like ‘A Year Without Santa Claus’ or the original ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, because the new ones they try to do is just bad.”

Emma laughed at that, and I felt my face get hot, to my utter embarrassment. Will my body do everything in its power to betray my stupid feelings for her? Even thinking about it made my face get hotter and I turned my attention to the tv, where I tried to flick through the holiday section of available movies.

“Oh, what about that one?!” Emma pointed at the screen and I froze in my browsing, the tv landing on the promo clips of a movie I’d never seen. It looked old, the shots were a little grainy and the clothes were out of date. A little kid was clinging to the top of a red slide, thick black glasses on his face and desperation in his eyes. The clip changed, to the same kid dressed up like a cowboy, shooting a BB gun through a window at some caricature bandits. “I love this movie!”

“Really? I’ve never seen it.” I was watching the clips play out, luckily turned towards the tv so I couldn’t see Emma’s expression. I looked at her a moment later and immediately lit up red. Her mouth was agape, with her finger still pointed at the screen in shock. “What, is it like, an important movie or something?”

Emma sputtered for a second before finding her voice, which was terribly cute. “It’s only the best Christmas movie of all time! The classic story of a kid who wants nothing more than a Red Ryder Action Corbine Air-fire Rifle that his parents would never give to him, and his struggle to get his favorite toy for Christmas!” She looked over at me again, and must not have found the recognition that should have been in my eyes. “Have you really never watched  _ A Christmas Story  _ before?”

Now that I hear the name, some kind of recognition hit me. “Oh! Now that you say the name I know the movie. But uh-” I watched Emma’s newly hopeful face fall again, “I’ve never seen it. My parents didn’t allow me to watch the movie because it was “un-godly”, I guess? I never asked, and I guess I forgot about it.” I felt a sort of guilt pool in my stomach as I talked. Was it so bad that I hadn’t seen one of Emma’s favorite Christmas movies? Would she think less of me because I never got around to seeing it after I got away from my parents? Oh, God, she’s going to think I’m some shut-in, or some overly religious person or something because of that-

But Emma grabbed my hand instead, taking the remote and starting the movie. “Well, that’s a goddamn crime against humanity, and I say that I get to be the one to introduce you to the masterpiece that is  _ A Christmas Story _ .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! As always, kudos and comments are always appreciated, they really are the lifeblood of my fic writing.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed! Feel free to leave kudos, and don't hesitate to let me know what you think of this! I love hearing feedback from my readers.


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